Overview
- The National Weather Service has issued coastal flood advisories for several counties and forecasts four- to seven-foot surf on Monday and Tuesday with widespread very strong rip currents that could sweep swimmers out to sea.
- Long Beach declared a local emergency and coastal cities have been building sand berms, staging equipment and offering free ready-to-fill sandbags at fire stations to protect homes and public infrastructure.
- Officials are urging people to avoid swimming, surfing and walking on exposed rocks because of increased drowning risk, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has warned that some beaches have elevated bacteria levels that make contact with ocean water unsafe.
- Polo has strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane on a track to hit Baja California Sur while nearby Odalys is expected to weaken and turn away, and forecasters say both storms will steer moisture into the U.S. Southwest with the potential for heavy desert rain and modest boosts to reservoirs.
- Communities are taking short-term fixes such as sand placement, berms and sandbags after earlier September storms stripped beaches and undermined seawalls, and scientists link the active Pacific season and rapid storm intensification to unusually warm ocean temperatures and a strong El Niño.